Post-Traumatic Jesus: A Healing Gospel for the Wounded by David W. Peters is a book I feel generally conflicted about. Peters seems to propose a post-traumatic reading of the Gospels in conjunction with a memoir like reading of these stories alongside his own journey with PTSD and the trauma he carries from his time as an American Solider in Iraq. What is presented is 30 vignettes that almost feel more like blogposts (not a bad thing) than fully fledged chapters that take stories from across the Gospel and reread them from a “post-traumatic” lens. The reason I leave “post-traumatic” in quotations marks is not because I believe that this either not a valid methodology or that Peters fails, but there is no metric to judge Peter’s work against because he never actually defines what a “post-traumatic” reading is. Although Peter’s readings are clearly well researched and sensitive to the realities of trauma and the horrific realities of living under Roman Rule in the first century CE, it is still hard to judge them when “post-traumatic” or a “post-traumatic reading” is never defined. In the end Post-Traumatic Jesus is a moving memoir and does provide some insight into the realities of the trauma faced in the Gospels, but I can only recommend it for recreational reading. It is simply not robust enough to be a viable option for any type of serious research either into trauma studies or New Testament criticism. In the end there are some redeeming qualities, but there is not enough substance in this book to feel like I can recommend it when we live in a world of limited resources where your time would be spent reading other books on the same topic or adjacent research.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley, but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

“The world was brutal before Rome, but Rome industrialized brutality, incentivizing the rapacious and greedy to take more and more. For all those in Jesus' day who were helpless in the face of their violations, the story of the Annunciation is a story where the God of power and might waits patiently for the answer of a young woman in an obscure town called Nazareth. Like the ER doctor, God offers a relationship of participation to Mary, and to us as well.”

In this short, 30 chapter book, David Peters explains that the original context of the four Gospels was Roman oppression and the traumas of subjected peoples. The first line of his book: "The post-traumatic Jesus is the only Jesus Christianity has ever known" highlights the entire premise of the book. The early churches dealt with PTSD, but just didn't have a label for it. I found it comforting to know that the Bible we know and love was written from a such a place. Peters authentically shows us how the Gospel stories of Jesus relate to men and women today who have suffered trauma.

Peters was an enlisted Marine and an Army chaplain. He's now the vicar of St. Joan of Arc Episcopal Church in Texas, a church that focuses on welcoming survivors of trauma.

This is a game changer of a book. If you suffer from PTSD, then this book is for you. You can read it in a day or take a chapter each week. I found many things that I have been through, and it's just like having a hand put on your shoulder, allowing you to know God is there.

David W. Peters writes this book out of a lens of PTSD. Different biblical incidents and parables are considered all with the perspective of what life was like during the time of Jesus. His basic premise is that to truly understand what Jesus was saying, to grasp what the Bible has to say to us today we must realize that the Jesus many of us in Western Civilization have come to think of is a sanitized Jesus. Peters does a good job of bringing historical facts together with modern day trauma, bringing a new understanding not only of the effects of trauma, but how that trauma actually frames our comprehension of Jesus. He brings a new perspective on how Jesus heals, giving agency to traumatized people. If you work with traumatized people or have experienced trauma this is a good book to read and broaden your understanding of how scripture and modern day trauma intersect to bring hope to brokenness. #Post-TraumaticJesus #netgalley

I really enjoyed this book. It is very topical for today's world inside and outside Christianity; Trauma pretty much affects everybody. Looking at it through a Christian lens allows people to understand Jesus better and how he personally understands and loves each of us. Often people with severe PTSD are shunned but Jesus would not have allowed that and David W. Peters is bringing that to light,

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I’m grateful for this perspective and view of Jesus through the lens of trauma. As someone who works in ministry but also has a background in mental health, it was powerful to see merch and grace to represented in such a way.

I found Post Traumatic Jesus to be an inspiring book to read. Many readers who have been through trauma will be able to relate to this book and hopefully it will help them find much needed hope and faith. Five stars.

In order to experience good things in our future, we must expect good things in our future. We must wait for them as we wait for the terrible things.

This was my favorite quote in the book. I could not put the book down once I started reading it. As a trauma survivor of personal circumstances, in addition to the world trauma we all experience, this book spoke to my heart. It was a great study in how the characters of the Bible went through very similar situations to what I have been through.
Jesus is with me even in my doubt and fear. Especially in my doubt and fear.
I will reread this book again and again when I need a reminder to have faith.
The short chapters are easy to digest and the scripture references make it easy to study deeper into the overall theme of each section.

That Jesus is fully God has never been difficult to accept, but often, his humanity gets sidelined. Jesus is both fully God and fully human and this book really humanized Jesus in a way that isn’t often seen. I could not put this book down. David Peters tells the story of Jesus’ life through the lens of trauma. Trauma is such a tricky beast, it’s so hard to make room for the idea of it except after having experienced it and you’re left with no choice. This is the first book I’ve seen of it’s kind where trauma is both acknowledged and a consideration is taken for how that might have impacted choices, words spoken, feelings, etc. As someone who has experienced developmental trauma growing up, this book was a balm for me. The author gets it— but more especially, as he points out, Jesus gets it and He cares. What a friend we have in Jesus.

The book opens at the crucifixion— because all gospels were written after Jesus was crucified. It then goes back to the birth narrative and proceeds through Jesus’ life chapter by chapter. I especially enjoyed the added history of the various side players in the narrative for added context. The chapters were not overwhelmingly long, the author said what he needed to say and I really appreciated that— each chapter was approachable and not overwhelming. He mentions traumatic situations present day audiences can relate to, but he doesn’t live there, so the book was not as triggering as it might have been.

The mark of a good Christian book for me is one that leads me back into scripture, and all the way through, I found myself pausing to read the gospels account in an effort to consider what the author was presenting. The author is episcopal, but he stuck to the gospels without going into any theological differences that might make this book unapproachable to other denominations. It was very well done, and is accessible to all traumatized Christians in the same way that Mere Christianity by CS Lewis is a book beloved and cherished by all Christian’s.

I don’t know why it never occurred to me that Jesus experienced trauma, and so He knows and meets me in mine. I really appreciated this book and would recommend it to any believer who has experienced trauma.

A big thank you to Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley for my providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a thought-provoking look at the life and times of Jesus Christ and his disciples, especially putting things into the context of the trauma they had been and were experiencing at that time. When we take the time to recognize the pain, fear and anguish they dealt with on a daily basis, it enables us to see how similar our lives are today to theirs so long ago.

I appreciated the short chapters and the straightforward writing, but have to admit, I found the book more thought-provoking than inspiring. I think it would make for a good book to read for a discussion group or some other environment where you can read it in small sections and then process and discuss it.

Since I had opted to sit and read without taking the time to internalize what was being, I found myself having to take frequent breaks because of how heavy many of the topics were.

Thank you to David W. Peters, Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I absolutely loved this book. As someone who has experienced trauma and put in a lot of work to heal, it was so affirming for me. I loved the quick chapters because it made it easy to stick with it. Highly recommend!!

This book proposed a lot of ideas that were new to me and I liked that. Very thought provoking. It is a book, I feel, that you need to read slowly. Even though it’s a relatively short book, it gets heavy quick. I plan to read it again, but next time at a slower pace, allowing for more intentional ruminating.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc!

"When we are faced with mercy and love, we mistake it for all of society unraveling. And maybe it has. Maybe the post-traumatic Jesus has come to do just this, to unravel the cycle of retribution, even in situations where we think it is deserved."

I haven't experienced very many honest and helpful conversations in the church about trauma, its fallout, and how to continue walking with Jesus in an authentic way afterwards. That's why I recommend this post-traumatic lens through which to experience the gospel. Peters walks us through the traumas of being a human during Jesus's earthly ministry and connects it to the many traumatic experiences of being human today. I appreciated this approach, as many titles in this genre are too sugar-coated for my taste, leaving me feeling a little sick and still hungry for something sustaining. There are even a few swear words sprinkled throughout, always with purpose, never in a way I found to be offensive, just real and relatable. Each chapter is fairly short and stays focused on one parable, story, or statement of Jesus's which was nice, as the reader may wish to pause, process, and soak in the chapter they've just read.

There were times I wanted Peters to elaborate more on a certain connection he was making between the past and the present, but overall it was a thought-provoking and satisfying read. I would recommend this title to readers who enjoy Rob Bell, Eugene Peterson, Kate Bowler, and/or Barbara Brown Taylor.

Insightful book on trauma and how faith can be impacted by our trauma. It is great to read a book on trauma from a biblical perspective. Though this was not the easiest of reads it definitely open my eyes to the fact that even Jesus experienced trauma but thankful that He overcame so that I can overcome.

This was an interesting read about how all the traumas we experience today, Jesus faced in his time and culture as well.
To me some of them seemed like a stretch, but it was a different way of looking at an event, so that is just my opinion.

In this book, David Peters presents the various traumas that Jesus suffered during his days on Earth, and he compares His sufferings with our PTSD symptoms. Each chapter takes on a different type of suffering or trauma and presents some Biblical history regarding those issues. I am a Christian, but have not experience significant PTSD the way that Peters has, and so I didn't find this book to be relatable. I appreciate how this book could be helpful for someone who is struggling with faith and wanting to find life meaning in their PTSD. I did get a little bogged down in the history. I appreciated how the chapters were quite succinct, and easy to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Post-Traumatic Jesus.

The premise of Post-Traumatic Jesus is honestly one I have not seen before: the trauma Jesus experienced, the trauma those around him experienced connects our traumatized selves to Him even more. As a woman, the example of the hemorrhaging woman who is healed when she touches Jesus was incredibly powerful to look at through this post-traumatic lens: “Jesus knows… He believes her whole story, every bit of it. He includes her in his community.”

I struggled at times with spots that seemed to get too heavy into historical details, feeling like we didn’t need quite such depth of explanation in some cases, but that could be personal preference rather than fair critique. This made it a harder read for me, whereas other portions I could take in the examples more easily and not feel like I needed to give my brain a break.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is working out what their relationship with faith and Jesus looks like now- having lived through various traumas and in a broken world, where it seems even the church is broken in many ways- we are reevaluating, and I think the connections made in this book can help.

When you’ve spent as many years in ministry, studying and reflecting on the Gospels, as I have, you can begin to feel like you’ve heard it all. I’ve been through so many interpretations of Jesus, from stripping away all aspects that have accumulated over the centuries in search of the historical Jesus, to the Jesus of liberation theology, feminist theology, creation spirituality, Godspell, and the rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, to name a few. But David Peter’s book provided a new perspective on Jesus that grabbed my attention and kept it throughout the pages. The title caught my interest, and the book did not disappoint.

No one way of envisioning Jesus says it all, just as there is no one way to capture the mystery that is God. Peters’ Post-Traumatic Jesus gives us another valuable and insightful way to see Jesus. Well worth reading!

Well researched take on trauma relating to the life of Jesus and His first followers. Good read. Peter’s relates Jesus’ trauma to our own that we face today.

For all of its anti-semitism and numerous other failings, the scene of Jesus being flogged in Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" has always stayed with me. The reason being its brutal portrayal of the reality of being struck by strips of leather with bone and lead placed at the end. David W. Peters descriptions of life under Roman rule in 1st century Palestine, while suffering none of the failings of Gibson's movie, does force the reader to come to terms with the brutality and trauma of that existence which living in the 21st century might not experience as viscerally. By providing the hermeneutic of trauma with which to re-encounter the gospels, the book pushes the reader into a new awareness of the Incarnation, however, I question whether we can truly speak of a "post-traumatic Jesus."

I don't believe we can use post-traumatic as an adjective for Jesus or for the Resurrection. I would argue that in terms of Jesus' life and ministry there is trauma and then there is resurrection. The Resurrection isn't post-traumatic, the Resurrection eliminates trauma entirely. Using post-traumatic as a way to describe Jesus and his ministry creates some difficult theology. For example, though the putting down of the disciples' fishing nets and the putting down of a bottle of alcohol for an alcoholic are two examples of significant life changes with significant results, equating them is problematic. Leaving alcohol dependence behind as a part of the journey of moving through trauma is to be acknowledged and commended but is not theologically the same as the disciples leaving behind their livelihoods to follow Jesus.

The discipline of trauma studies has allowed social scientists to begin to understand human behavior in new and critical ways. A theology of trauma is equally as critical. It promises to provide those who have been traumatized and who are being traumatized with a way to talk about and understand God, which is the purpose of theology. It also promises to provide those who live and pastor to the traumatized a shared theological understanding and language. This is one of the reasons that Post-Traumatic Jesus is important. Whether or not one agrees with how the hermeneutic is used, the fact that the hermeneutic of trauma needs to exist is without question.